Gaku Kazemaru
Gaku Kazemaru (風丸 学 Kazemaru Gaku) is a fan character in the Tekken series who first appeared in Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, and is the protagonist of the Perfect Wind fanon universe's Tekken arc. In every game since then, he is available by customizing Hwoarang. Biography Personality Gaku is said to have slightly different personalities in and outside of combat. Normally, he is said to be a kind-hearted caring man, even with his joking sarcastic exterior. In combat, he becomes hot-headed, and he becoems more sarcastic than usual, often making fun of his opponents. Other than martial arts, Gaku is said to enjoy Korean music, dancing, video games, and traveling. Fighting Style Gaku's primary fighting style is listed as "American Karate (heavily based on Taekwondo)", though gameplay-wise it is identical to Hwoarang's Taekwondo style. It is based on real life styles which are called "Karate" but blend Japanese, Korean, and other martial arts. Appearance Gaku is a 5'11" tall 21-year-old man of Japanese descent. He has short black hair with messy bangs, and a lean muscular build. In most artistic depictions, however, his hair is often depicted as a dark green, and his hair in the games is said to have a very dark green tint to it. His usual sparring outfit consists of a short blue and black karate gi worn open at the front, black keikogi pants held up by his black belt, and blue sparring gloves and foot guards. It is confirmed that the jacket is actually from a childhood karate gi he once put on as a joke, only to think that it looked cool once he actually put it on. His alternate outfit is a version of Hwoarang's biker outfit, colored green and white. It is said that he started wearing this style after joining Hwoarang's resistance movement, inspired by Hwoarang himself. In Tekken Tag Tournament 2, a future version of Gaku exists as an alternate costume for Baek Doosan. This represents Gaku as a grandfather during the events of God Eater Resurrection, in which his grandson, Shinobu, is a God Eater. Story Gaku Kazemaru was born in Sawasaki, Japan the son of Yuki Kazemaru (風丸 勇気 Kazemaru Yūki), a Japanese businessman who was in line to become the heir to the Kazemaru family business. Yuki chose to leave the family business for America to make a name for himself, handing the business to his younger brother, Takeshi. He and his family moved to Chicago when Gaku was 5 years old. Since then, Gaku trained at his father's karate dojo, earning his first black belt just before starting high school. He would later study American Karate to expand his style, eventually adopting it as his main style due to praising it for its sense of freedom. This style is known to combine elements of traditional Karate, Taekwondo, and kickboxing, and has an emphasis on kicking. During high school, Gaku would befriend Mika Satomi, and the two would be longtime friends. At some point, Gaku had studied abroad at a high school in Sawasaki, meeting and befriending a jujutsu expert named Mitsuki Nakayama. The two were also said to have a brief romance. Tekken 6 In preparation for the 6th King of Iron Fist tournament, Gaku spent some time training with Mika. THe two would later go to Sawasaki to train and stay with Gaku's uncle Takeshi, and with Mitsuki. The two made a promise with Mitsuki that if they were to fight each other in the tournament, none of them would hold back. By the time the 6th King of Iron Fist Tournament started, Gaku entered to test his skills. Though he made it far, and beat Mika in his penultimate match, he did not make it to the finals. His final match was against Mitsuki. Though Gaku managed to put up a good fight and an impressive show for the audience, Mitsuki ultimately won, knocking Gaku out of the tournament. After he lost, Gaku began to see the big picture and the corruption of Jin Kazama. He would park ways with Mika, who would travel to Egypt to investigate Azazel. For this, he joined up with a local resistance movement led by Hwoarang and Master Baek, where he was able to harass the Tekken Force and build on some Taekwondo skills, as most of the rebels used that style. However, as a largely unorganized unit, they are defeated by Lars Alexandersson and his rogue Tekken Force soldiers. Wanting to continue down this path, he offered his services to Lars as a mercenary. Though he is not a member of the rogue Tekken Force, Gaku fought against the Zaibatsu just the same, showing proficiency with both his own martial arts and with firearms. Tekken 7 Now with Jin Kazama supposedly defeated by Commander Alexandersson, Gaku spent some more time in Japan, usually hanging around Mitsuki's apartment. The two would find an underground fighting tournament in Sawajima. The two made it to the final round, where Gaku would exact revenge and beat Mitsuki. They would split the prize money, and blow it on a vacation to the Philippines, where they would visit Mitsuki's friend, herself also a fighter. Trivia *Gaku is a direct descendant of fellow fan character Seiji Kazemaru. His hair color with a green tint is a reference to how Seiji was created in Soulcalibur. *Following the methods of his ancestor, Gaku's style is unconventional for his background. Though he was born in Japan, American Karate is his primary style.